
September 24-26th, 2023
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
6902 Greenway Pkwy. Scottsdale, AZ 85254
AMPLIFY – “to make larger or greater, to increase in strength or amount”. Let’s come together to amplify your businesses from every angle!
AMPLIFY – “to make larger or greater, to increase in strength or amount”. Let’s come together to amplify your businesses from every angle.
AMPLIFY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.
Magnify your relationships with customers, amplifying your connections to an unbreakable level. We will share proven techniques to build trust, loyalty, and lasting partnerships that withstand the test of time.
AMPLIFY YOUR CULTURE.
Embrace the transformative power of amplifying your culture, attracting and nurturing a team of exceptional talent. Discover the strategies that foster an environment where employees feel valued, inspired, and fully engaged.
AMPLIFY YOUR REVENUE STREAM.
Revitalize your operations and explore innovative ways to drive revenue. Our experts will share insights on cutting-edge techniques and technologies that will amplify your efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
Amplify your business. Amplify your potential. Amplify your success.
Together with the community of ambitious PACE dealers, let’s create waves that will transform the industry and take your businesses to a new level.
Secure your spot today and embark on a journey of unparalleled growth and achievement!
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a street-wise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines of business to the executive boardroom.
Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feels, and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible. The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential, and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism, he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.
As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Kevin has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including Booz Allen Hamilton, State Farm, Merck, Delta Airlines, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, New York Life, H&R Block, Million Dollar Round Table, Southwest Airlines, PPG Refinish, AIG Financial, Eliassen Group, Cambridge Investment Research, and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals to name a few. Kevin is the author of the best-selling book The HERO Effect® – Being Your Best When It Matters the Most.
Kevin entertains, inspires, and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life.

BUZZ GHIZ
Buzz Ghiz has been an entrepreneur for most of his life. He owned businesses as a teenager, such as car detailing and carpet cleaning; Buzz was always looking for ways to gain experience, and knowledge in the business world from a young age.
While attending school in the 60s, Buzz began working for his family business, Paddock Pool Construction Company, where he began his storied career in the swimming pool industry.
After graduating Central High School in Phoenix, Buzz started a full-time career with Paddock in 1972, working in all facets of the family business, as he attended Arizona State University. He became President of Paddock in 1988. Buzz and his brothers grew Paddock to one of the world’s largest swimming pool and spa companies with offices in Arizona, Nevada and California. They also operated 18 retail stores across Arizona and Nevada.
Paddock was consistently named one of the top pool builders in the country by industry publications up until 2005, when the Ghiz family sold the company.
While President of Paddock, Buzz also served as President of Paramount Leisure Industries, a Arizona-based manufacturer of in-floor cleaning systems and other specialized swimming pool equipment, distributed world-wide via a vast dealer network. In 1999, Buzz bought out the balance of his family’s stake in the business and became the sole-owner.
Over a span of 20 years under the helm of Buzz, Paramount became dominant in the in-floor cleaning systems business, with over 70% market share. In 2018, Paramount was acquired by Hayward Industries.
Buzz has always believed in building a culture and a brand around genuine customer relationships and being laser-focused on employee & customer centricity.
Today, Buzz spends his time speaking, consulting and mentoring pool builders and aspiring entrepreneurs around the world.
Buzz also has been involved in residential real estate investing and speculative home building in various Phoenix-area markets for the last 35 years.

ALI WOLF
Ali Wolf is the Chief Economist for Zonda, the largest new home construction data company in North America. As head of the Economics Department, Ali manages and analyzes the content for Zonda, runs special research projects, strategizes with the nation’s largest homebuilders, and presents nationwide covering topics across the housing market and wider economy.
Ali is the creator of Zonda’s proprietary indices, including the New Home Pending Sales Index and the New Home Lot Supply Index. Ali has focused much of her career on understanding prior recessions and led the charge on ‘Millennials discussing Millennials’ in the homebuilding space. Highly regarded as an industry expert, Ali is quoted frequently in national publications including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Yahoo! Finance, and has also appeared on national and international TV and radio programs such as Bloomberg TV and Marketplace. Further, Ali serves as an advisor to the White House, providing data and insights on the U.S. housing market.
Prior to joining the Zonda team, Ali worked for another consultancy firm and was a researcher for both the Canadian and UK Parliaments. Ali holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University in Economics and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics in Real Estate Economics and Finance.

ROWDY GAINES
Rowdy Gaines life is one of inspiration and courage. Gaines, born in Winter Haven, Florida, didn’t start swimming until the age of 17. He tried other sports as youngster but was either too short, too slow, or not coordinated enough. As he recalls, “I wanted to play football but was so intimidated by the size of the other players.”
A shy boy growing up, Rowdy Gaines found the solitude of swimming laps to be just what the doctor ordered. But his shyness quickly dissipated with his new found swimming success. After two years of rapid improvement as a high school swimmer, he was offered a scholarship to swim for Auburn University and under legendary coach Richard Quick.
If not for the 1980 Olympic boycott, Rowdy Gaines might very well be one of America’s most famous Olympians. He was favored to win 4 Olympic Gold Medals in 1980. He had broken 11 World Records. But as he says today, while disappointed by the decision to boycott, he supported President Carter and the U.S.A 100%.
With every set back in his life, Rowdy Gaines has persevered. He graduated from Auburn in 1981 and thought his swimming career was over. Professional swimming didn’t exist at that time. He left the water for nearly a year, worked in his dad’s gas station, and went through post-collegiate depression thinking he’d missed his dream to swim in the Olympics. If you are not a swimmer, you have to understand the Olympics are swimming’s Super Bowl. Four years is a very long time in a sport where the biological clock is ticking. At his father’s coaxing to “stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Rowdy Gaines came out of retirement and in late 1981 returned to the sport he so loved.
At a “dinosauric” age of 25, Rowdy Gaines entered the 1984 Olympic trials as an after-thought. Many believed he was washed up and over the hill. After all, he hadn’t swam a best time in nearly three years. But it was part of the strategy for Gaines to peak at the right time.
Rowdy Gaines made the U.S. team in three events; the 100 meter freestyle, 400 meter freestyle relay, and 400 medley relay. Even after making the 1984 team, few gave Gaines a chance to medal. His times from the trials were good but not his best. He went into the 1984 Los Angles Olympics an underdog. It was a roll he relished.
Waiting behind lane three for the finals of the 100 meter freestyle, Rowdy Gaines wore a walk man and listened to Phil Collins “I don’t care anymore.” He had dedicated 10 years of his life for the next fifty seconds. He had survived a roller coaster emotional ride. Stepping onto the block, he was replaying his swimming career in his mind. History would judge Rowdy Gaines by the number of Olympic golds he would win. But he didn’t care about history at that point. He was at peace with all he had accomplished. He didn’t need a gold medal to make his career a success. It was in that fifty second moment that he was set free to swim the perfect race.
Rowdy Gaines won individual Olympic gold in the 100 meter freestyle and anchored both U.S.A. relays to Gold medals. He finally lived his dream on the sports greatest stage. He had closure and could officially retire from the sport of swimming.
If this were a fairy tale, we would stop now with ‘The End.’ But there is more to the story. In August of 1991, at the age of 31, Rowdy Gaines was inflicted with Guillan-Bare Syndrome. Guillan-Bare is a neurological disorder that paralyzes the entire nervous system. There is no known cure the syndrome. It affects 1 in 100,000 Americans. Gaines was hospitalized for 2 months and miraculously made a full recovery from the life-threatening syndrome. His doctors say if he hadn’t been for his physical condition from his swimming background, he might not be alive–or at best be paralyzed for life. The first day out of the hospital, his wife Judy took him to a familiar surrounding, the swimming pool. Within a year, Rowdy Gaines had relearned all the basics we take for granted; tying a shoe, eating with a fork, and brushing our teeth– and even began to swim again. He swam a few meets and like most great athletes in their sport, contemplated a comeback. He was ranked top 10 in the world in several freestyle events. He was the oldest swimmer to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Trials, at the age of 35. But when you are a committed family man like Rowdy Gaines, your priorities change. He chose not to compete but enter the broadcast booth as NBC’s Olympic Games Swimming commentator. It’s a role that has suited him very well. NBC and USA Swimming were both excited to have his knowledge and excitement of the sport shared with so many that he was asked to commentate the 2000 Atlanta Olympics and will be in Athens for 2004.
Today, Rowdy Gaines is often referred to as “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador.” He leads a busy schedule as the Director of Outreach for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and family man to four daughters. He travels the world passionately sharing his love for the sport of swimming with youth, parents, and coaches. Rowdy Gaines serves as a national spokesperson for the Children’s Miracle Network, HealthSouth, Disney, Rayban, Speedo, and John Hancock. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and is a sought after motivational speaker by companies world-wide. He’s a regular TV commentator for swimming and sporting events.
And, yes, Rowdy Gaines still finds time to swim for recreation. After all once, you have the love for a sport in your system, it’s awfully hard to get out.

MAUREEN KLECHA
Maureen Klecha is a leadership keynote speaker joining us at our PACE conference for the 3rd year. She is an accomplished executive coach and talent development expert providing audiences with practical, authentic leadership strategies for leading in today’s dynamic world of work.

TERRI SJODIN
Terri Sjodin is the Principal and Founder of Sjodin Communications. She is one of America’s most highly sought after female speakers and has trained and motivated thousands of people from all over the world. Her unique specialization is advancing the persuasive presentation skills of professionals. She is the author of the national bestselling book, Small Message, Big Impact (Penguin/Portfolio), which hit the New York Times Hardcover Advice & Misc. bestseller list, Wall Street Journal Hardcover Business bestseller list, and USA Today Money bestseller list.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
6902 Greenway Pkwy. Scottsdale, AZ 85254